The present invention relates to an absorbent article, for example urine-absorbing pad, pad against urine incontinence or sanitary napkin. More particularly, the present invention relates to an absorbent article capable of fitting in a stable manner with no occurrence of twisting or no emergence of tucked-down wrinkles, when used being overlaid on the inner face of an outer wear material, for example underwear or diaper.
Absorbent articles such as urine-absorbing pad, pad against urine incontinence and sanitary napkin are generally used being overlaid on the inner face of an outer wear material such as underwear or diaper.
Such type of absorbent articles structurally comprises an absorbent core interposed between a liquid-permeable top sheet and a liquid-impermeable back sheet and sometimes additionally includes leg gatherings or vertical gatherings arranged on both sides thereof in the crosswise direction. These gathering are provided with elastic member materials such as rubber for providing a close fit to the legs or for standing up toward the skin of a wearer (user).
These conventional absorbent articles are prepared as soft as possible, taking account of the touch to the skin of a user. However, almost no attention has been paid to easy applicability or to the prevention of twisting or tucked-down wrinkles, which are significant when the absorbent article is used being overlaid on the inner face of an outer wear material such as underwear and diaper.
Particularly, regarding the one provided with the leg gatherings or vertical gatherings, because the elastic member materials for forming the leg gatherings or vertical gatherings are arranged in both sides of the absorbent article to extend. longitudinally at an elongated state, the resulting absorbent article readily deforms due to the shrinkage force of the elastic member materials, when the absorbent article is overlaid on an outer wear material. Consequently, the following drawbacks emerge.
1. It is difficult to attach the absorbent article along the inner face of an outer wear material such as underwear and diaper. In other words, it is difficult to attach the absorbent material in a relatively flat state to the inner face of an outer wear material such as underwear and diaper.
2. When attaching the absorbent article on the inner face of an outer wear material, the absorbent article readily twists or is tucked down and wrinkled; and moreover, during the motion of a body with the absorbent article attached thereon, the absorbent article twists or is tucked down and wrinkled or the degree of twisting or the number of tucked-down wrinkles is increased, so that body fluids readily leak from the side of the absorbent article.
3. It is difficult to attach the absorbent article on the very utmost bottom of an outer wear material. Particularly when the absorbent article is attached on the inner face of an underwear, because the absorbent article is inserted from the waist opening of the underwear into the inside of the underwear and then the legs are inserted into the underwear to wear the absorbent article together with the underwear, the absorbent article readily shifts in position or twists or is tucked down and wrinkled in the underwear until the underwear completely fits the body.
The present invention is solve the conventional problems as mentioned above, and an object of the invention is to provide an absorbent article capable of securely fitting human bodies with no ready occurrence of twisting or tucked-down wrinkles of the absorbent article when overlaid on the inner face of an outer wear material.
It is another object of the invention to provide an absorbent article which can be securely positioned and arranged at the central part of the lowest bottom of an outer wear material such as underwear.
The present invention provides an absorbent article comprising a laminated piece comprising a liquid-permeable top sheet, a back sheet and an absorbent core interposed between the top sheet and the back sheet, wherein the region where the absorbent core is present includes a center region extending along a lengthwise direction of the absorbent article and side regions adjacent to the center region in a crosswise direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction, and the bending resistance (stiffness) of the laminated piece in the center region is higher than the bending resistance of the laminated piece in the side regions.
The absorbent article of the invention can be used as a urine-absorbing pad, a pad against urine incontinence, a sanitary napkin or the like, being overlaid on the inner face of an outer wear material such as underwear and diaper. By arranging the longitudinally extending center region with high bending resistance (stiffness) in the laminated piece composing the absorbent article, twisting or any tucked-down wrinkle hardly emerges in the absorbent article when the absorbent article is overlaid on the inner face of the outer wear material. Therefore, the absorbent article can be worn by a user in a stably fitting manner with no ready emergence of twisting or tucked-down wrinkles.